


Dead of the night

by Bl4ckHunter



Series: The Dar(h)k War Saga [32]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Detective, Mystery, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 18:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20710313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bl4ckHunter/pseuds/Bl4ckHunter
Summary: A classic Halloween routine turns into a chase after a mysterious myth.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A classic Halloween routine turns into a chase after a mysterious myth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An idea I got when remembering some Batman comic books and TV series.
> 
> It is also a part of The Dar(h)k War series but it is going to be one of the shorter ones.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

"OK, I gotta take a night shift, since a colleague of mine is sick, so be nice tonight, kids, yeah? And don't mess around too much out there." Nicole said as she was putting on her coat and scarf.

"OK, Mom." Riley said.

"Oh, and don't let Solomon Grundy get to you." Nicole added as Riley rolled his eyes.

"Mom, I'm not five anymore, that's not gonna work on me." Riley said, annoyed as she left, chuckling.

"Have a nice Halloween, kids." Nicole said before she left.

"Solomon Grundy? Like the nursery rhyme?" William asked.

"Born on Monday, christened on Tuesday, yeah." Mia nodded.

"Don't mind my Mom, she does that every Halloween." Riley said, wearing a costume of a pirate, while Mia was wearing her Red Arrow suit and William was wearing Green Arrow costume. "There's this rumor that every Halloween a zombie from the swamps comes haunt Gotham on Halloween every year but it's just a story."

"Uh-huh." William nodded, not sure if he wanted to know the details.

"Rachel's gonna come join us tonight too." Mia said.

* * *

_ **Gotham City** _

"Trick or treat?" William tried as he knocked on the door of one of the older manors and showed a basket.

"OK, one for the Green Arrow." The man put the candy into William's basket. "One for… a witch." The man said warily as he put the sweets into Rachel's bag. "One for the pirate and Red Arrow." He said as Riley and Mia picked their sweets too. "And be careful and don't be out when the full moon's on." He pointed at the sky.

"Or Grundy will come for us, yeah, we've heard that one before." Riley muttered as they left. "Every year." He shook his head, annoyed.

"Is something like zombies even possible?" William wondered.

"Oh, you don't want to know." Mia said, remembering what Oliver and Sara had told her about what they had been through, while on adventures with the Legends or her experience with zombies on Earth-2.

Suddenly, a few streets away, they heard smashing and crumbling as they returned back to the manor they had just visited.

"What the hell?" Mia widened her eyes as the man was outside his manor that just crumbled into ruins as they saw a tall muscular figure in a coat with pale skin walk away.

"_Solomon Grundy… born on Monday… christened on Tuesday…_" The figure growled as it was walking away.

"What happened here?" William asked the man, who was clearly in shock.

"It was Grundy. He came for me." The man said, horrified. "He… he destroyed my house with his bare hands. The legends are true… he's real."

"Grundy comes on the darkest night to deprive the descendants of everything they hold dear as a part of his revenge." Riley summed up.

"Wait, you're telling us a giant swamp zombie did this?" Mia asked, skeptical as the man nodded frantically.

"Look!" The man pointed at the muddy footsteps on the ground. "He came for me, he'll come for the others!"

"Well, so much for trick-or-treating." William sighed.

"I guess we should go visit the World's Greatest Detective." Mia suggested. "And if zombies are really involved, I know someone, who might help too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think? Is it good? Is it bad? Should I continue?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this.
> 
> With regards
> 
> Bl4ckHunter


	2. Solomon Grundy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Batman and the youngsters find out that not all myths are just myths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

** _Wayne Manor_ **

"Solomon Grundy?" Alfred repeated.

"Either that or someone, who had quite a resemblance to a seven feet tall swamp zombie." Riley nodded. "The house didn't crumble all by itself and their riches were gone as well. We do realize how it must sound…"

"I believe that you really saw what you're saying you saw but I'm not sure if it is really a zombie." Bruce interrupted them. "You did a good thing by coming to me."

"That thing may be coming for others too, if the legends are real." Alfred said.

"What others?" Bruce asked.

"Wait, you don't know the legend about Grundy?" Riley demanded.

"I'm not sure if I should believe in zombies coming out every year. And it's not the same thing as a virus from the future." Bruce added before Mia could open her mouth. "But if what you're saying is correct, we should see who else could be the next target of this Grundy's attack."

* * *

** _Later, Gotham City_ **

Batman, Raven, Red Arrow and Red Robin approached a manor as they heard smashing and screaming. They entered the manor and saw a man crawling on the floor in the library as a giant pale figure was approaching him.

"Please, don't…" The man begged.

"Winslow! Run!" Batman ordered as the man got up and ran, while Grundy turned to the heroes.

"Grundy must have his revenge!" Solomon Grundy roared. "Grundy smash!"

Red Arrow fired a bola arrow, restraining Grundy but Grundy had managed to free himself with little effort, breaking through the restraints. Grundy rushed at Batman, Red Arrow and Red Robin, who rolled away.

Raven used her telekinesis and threw a table at Grundy as it crashed. Red Arrow whacked Grundy in the face with her bow but it didn't even faze him. Grundy threw a punch as Red Arrow dodged, while Red Robin threw shurikens that hit Grundy in the shoulders. Batman jumped, kicking Grundy in the face as Grundy staggered. Grundy slammed his fists to the floor like hammers as the floor crashed and Batman rolled away and threw pellets that exploded in smoke as Grundy roared. Batman and Red Arrow sent a powerful kick to Grundy's chest as he fell against a bookcase. Grundy grabbed Batman and knocked Red Arrow away.

"Grundy will destroy!"

Grundy roared, throwing Batman through a wall into the living room.

"Hey!" Red Arrow fired an explosive arrow that exploded few inches away from Grundy's face as he staggered back. Grundy started to smash the pillars as the ceiling started to crumble.

Raven used her telekinesis to stop the rubble midair and muttered a spell in an unknown language as Grundy seemed dazed before the heroes teleported as the house fell apart.

"What happened here?" One of the kids asked as a group of children who were trick-or-treating tonight, saw the ruins.

"No candy here, kids." Batman sighed as the man, who had owned the house, stared at it in sadness as he fell to his knees.

"My home. Everything I own… gone." The man sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	3. Mystery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce investigates deeper into Grundy's mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

**_Later, Wayne Manor_ **

Alfred was reading as Bruce, Mia, Tim and Rachel entered from a hidden entrance, clearly beaten up.

"What happened to you?" Alfred asked, worried.

"The Gotham legend happened." Bruce said as he sat down, tired.

"Solomon Grundy?" Alfred asked.

"Uh-huh." Mia nodded.

"I'm still not sure…"

"Come on, Bruce, Court of Owls and Order of Saint Dumas also turned out to be real. Why should Grundy be far off the stretch?" Tim argued.

"Master Drake has a point, Master Wayne. The legends may provide a clue to lifting Grundy's curse." Alfred pointed out as he picked a book and read from it. "Gotham wasn't always a swamp. Once, it was a lake, home to the mostly Eastern European laborers, who built Gotham City but three businessmen, Bolton, Winslow and Parrish, conspired to make the area a dumping ground for the industrial waste created by Gotham's construction, turning the lake into Gotham's swamp and rendering the area unsuitable for habitation. Several of the laborers, who lost their homes, were versed in magic from their native countries. On All Hallows Eve, during the lunar eclipse, they used their magic to form Solomon Grundy from the very waste of Gotham swamp. Since the laborers and their families lost everything their own, so too would Grundy haunt the founding fathers and their families through the years, leaving them destitute."

"Poetic justice." William said as Mia nodded but Bruce was already going back into the Batcave as he was examining a sample of the mud under the microscope.

"I guess you don't have patience for folklore tales, Bruce?" Mia questioned.

"I'd rather let science take over tonight to determine what is and is not supernatural." Bruce said.

"If he's a zombie, I may be able to stop him." Rachel said.

"Before we resort to magic, I'd like to find a sample of DNA, a follicle, skin, anything that might help us determine what exactly Grundy is." Bruce explained, looking into the mud from Grundy.

"I'll see what we can find." Tim offered as Bruce left with Mia.

"And if it's really a zombie, I may be able to find a spell to stop him." Rachel offered.

"We'll be on lookout tonight." Bruce said as he and Mia suited up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	4. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mystery behind Solomon Grundy is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

_ **Gotham City** _

"Happy Halloween!" The man said as the children left the wax museum, while Batman, Raven and Red Arrow were on the lookout.

"Gotham's oldest attraction on Halloween night." Batman said. "The biggest moneymaker."

Then, they heard a growl as they descended down into an alley and saw Grundy run around the corner.

"For a swamp zombie he's quite fast." Raven said.

They heard smashing as Red Arrow notched an arrow and Batman reached for a batarang until they saw what seemed to be like an insect monster come out from the corner, roaring.

Red Arrow notched an arrow, while Raven was muttering a spell and Batman reached for his batarang before the "monster" laughed.

"Hahaha, easy there, fellas! I'm just messing with ya!" The "monster" took off its mask, revealing himself to be a trick-or-treater as they relaxed. "I gotta say, that's quite a Batman and Speedy costume."

"Red Arrow." Mia corrected.

"And you're a witch?" The man turned to Rachel.

"Something like that. Look, a friend of ours wandered off. Have you seen around a huge guy dressed like Solomon Grundy?" Rachel asked.

"Can't say I've seen a swamp zombie around here but if I do, I'll tell him that the Batman, Red Arrow and a witch are looking for him, hahaha!" The man laughed, amused as he walked away.

"At least it wasn't a real monster." Mia said as Rachel nodded.

"_Guys._" Tim called out.

"Well?" Bruce asked.

"_The analysis shows that there are traces of human DNA but here's where it gets weird._" Tim said. "_It wasn't on any follicle or skin…_"

"…but in the mud itself." Bruce finished.

"_Yeah. I think I know what are we dealing with here._" Tim said.

"What?" Mia and Rachel asked as they turned to Bruce.

"Grundy may not be supernatural, kids but he still is a dangerous threat." Batman said grimly before they saw Solomon Grundy approach them.

"Grundy will destroy you!" Grundy roared.

Raven fired fireball, burning Grundy's face.

"Time to lose that mask!" Batman said, punching Grundy in the face and grabbing a handful of mud as the flames smothered. "Trick or treat… Clayface."

Clayface formed his face into his real one. "Can't blame me for having some Halloween tonight, can you, Bats?"

"Terrorizing the descendants and destroying their homes was only a cover." Batman realized.

"You wanted their money." Red Arrow finished.

"Leaving destitute like the legend says." Clayface said as he turned his hand into a mace. Red Arrow and Batman dodged as Raven summoned a shield, blocking Clayface's attack.

"Who would chase Grundy because of going after the money?" Batman said rhetorically. "They'd have to dredge Gotham's swamp."

"And I'd be long gone with my loot, wearing any face, I wanted, alive, dead or nonexistent." Clayface said, morphing his face into a monster insect.

"Like hell if we would lose a 500-pound monster." Raven said.

"I may not have tricked you but I still am gonna collect my treats." Clayface said before turning into clay and escaping through nearby ducts as Batman, Raven and Red Arrow followed him into…

"Great." Batman sighed as they saw the figurines.

"A shapeshifter in a wax museum. Like looking for a needle in a pile of haystacks." Red Arrow grumbled as she poked an inanimate Solomon Grundy figurine. "Any spells?"

"Maybe." Raven said as they walked down the hallway of figurines of people, monsters and so on as Raven was muttering something in Latin and as she finished the incantation, the glow of light shined behind them. "Look out!"

Raven, Batman and Red Arrow dodged as a Dominator attacked them, stretching its arm.

Red Arrow fired an arrow that sprayed some coolant, freezing Clayface's leg. Clayface separated itself from its leg and turned into a puddle of mud, running down the hallway again.

"Great, how are we gonna catch him?" Red Arrow wondered.

Batman smashed the ice as the clay was following Clayface.

* * *

Batman, Red Arrow and Raven entered the wax factory area before they found themselves unable to move as Clayface had blended in with the floor, trapping them.

"Gotcha!" Clayface said as he stretched himself and was about to throw them into a vat of hot wax. "Face it, kids, you'll be the most realistic dummies in the place!"

"Not today!" Raven sneered before she said another spell, freezing Clayface's arm and teleporting herself, Red Arrow and Batman onto a catwalk. Batman threw a batarang as a vat of hot wax fell on Clayface, who screamed.

"Nooo!" Clayface yelled before he was covered in thick layer of wax, unable to move.

"Well, looks like we've got our treats for tonight." Red Arrow quipped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be the concluding epilogue to this story.
> 
> So, what do you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far and want for me to continue.


	5. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath after the face-off with Grundy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

** _Wayne Manor_ **

Alfred was making a Jack O'Lantern pumpkin as Bruce sat down.

"Another All Hallow's eve come and gone." Alfred said.

"At least Grundy's curse has been lifted." Bruce pointed out.

"How can you be so certain, sir?" Alfred argued.

"Are you serious?" Bruce asked, skeptical.

"Just because a superpowered criminal masqueraded as a zombie, it does not mean supernatural does not exist." Alfred said, turning to the window grimly.

"True." Bruce said, considering Rachel, Constantine and magic in general. "I guess you make a compelling argument. But still, zombies…"

* * *

** _Nicole's house_ **

"Mia, would you like to explain why do you have mud on your suit and William and Riley don't?" Nicole asked as she was putting the clothes into the washing machine, while Mia had finished her shower and they were eating dinner.

"What can I say, Nicky, I guess there's some true about the urban legends." Mia said.

"Wait, you're saying that you guys saw Solomon Grundy tonight?" Henry asked, intrigued.

"Well, let's just say he wasn't as scary as you would've thought." Mia said, sitting down as Oliver, Laurel, Sara, Samantha, Henry and Nicole sat down, listening with intrigue. "And…"

"Don't worry, you made it our in one piece, so I'm not gonna yell at you." Nicole assured her as Mia took a breath.

"OK, so earlier tonight, we came to visit one of the…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this story. I have some other ideas for The Dar(h)k War series with longer stories that I plan to write later in Autumn, so stay tuned.
> 
> So, what do you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have enjoyed the story to its end.
> 
> With regards
> 
> Bl4ckHunter


End file.
